Partition wall structures



Dec. 15, 1970 MURAWSK] 3,546,835

PARTITION WALL STRUCTURES Filed Dec. 16, 1968 FIG. 2 33\ FIGS INVENTOR:

FIG 6 58 ZYGMUNT MURAWSKI ATT'YS nited States Patent 3,546,834 PARTITION WALL STRUCTURES Zygmunt Murawski, 8335 S. Kingston Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60617 Filed Dec. 16,1968, Ser. No. 783,804 Int. Cl. E0411 2/76 US. Cl. 52-632 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Partition construction embodying floor-mounted foot member with telescoping vertical posts; vertical adjustability of post height by bolt and nut threaded adjustment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention concerns improvements in partition construction and more particularly concerns the mounting of vertical posts or columns of such construction on a floorsupported foot member embodying a threaded adjustment for varying the height of the vertical posts. The invention further concerns improvements in the telescopic relationship of the posts and the foot member.

The installation of partition construction embodying vertical posts and transparent, translucent or opaque paneling between said posts has received a great deal of attention in recent years. Partition construction is an in tegral part of the modular concept of design of office and commercial space wherein the dividing walls between private or semi-private work areas can be changed quickly as demands and needs dictate.

As in most of the construction industry, labor costs are a substantial factor and there is still need in the partition wall art to simplify installation techniques so as to provide a savings in the overall cost of partition wall construction. One of the areas wherein such improvements are needed is in the support of vertical posts or columns on floor-mounted foot members to provide a substantially rigid post or column. Furthermore, such posts or columns need to be vertically adjustable so that a given partition in construction can be height-adjusted to meet the demands or desires of a given situation.

For example, it is generally desired to leave a space between the floor and the lower edge of the panel members for the purpose of maximum comfort by permitting air to circulate across and beneath such partitions. Such spacing further facilitates cleaning of carpeting or other floor covering contiguous to the partition walls.

Structures for vertical height adjustment of posts or columns of partition walls have been proposed heretofore. Exemplary thereof are such structures as disclosed in US. Pat. Nos. 2,963,131; 3,245,181; 3,312,025; 3,327, 440 and 3,371,454.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The subject invention concerns structural improvements in the telescoping interengagement of floor-mounting feet and vertical posts for partition structures and also to improvements in structures for varying the vertical height of posts supported on such feet. The foot members are respectively composed of a base or medial portion having laterally extending wing means at opposite, longitudinal edges of the base or medial portion. These wing means preferably have outwardly directed, longitudinally elongated ribs or lips which are oriented and spaced to receive in a telescopic relationship longitudinal grooves formed in the hollow, interior portion of the vertical post. The vertical post is formed with a longitudinal groove or recess in one or more of its outer walls or faces. These grooves or recesses open outwardly and are adapted to receive the vertical edges of panels of the partition structure. Such posts are hollow and have in their interior structure the aforesaid rib or lip-receiving grooves.

The lower portion of said base or medial portion of the foot member is cut away and has mounted therein a longitudinally extending, threaded shank or bolt. A nut is threaded on the shank or bolt and in turn supports a rectangular or other suitably shaped plate which extends laterally from the cut-away a suflicient distance so that the lower edge of the telescoped post will rest on and be supported by the plate.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention and its advantages will be more fully understood and appreciated from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention, which are illustrated in the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, side elevation of a bi-panel partition wall with a vertical post and foot member of the subject invention;

FIG. 2 is a. section view taken on section plane 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the lower portion of the foot member;

FIG. 4 is a section view taken on section Plane 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the lower portion of an alternate embodiment of a foot member of the subject invention; and

FIG. 6 is a section View taken on section plane 6-6 of FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a partition wall structure 10 embodying a vertical post 11, an upper translucent or transparent glass panel 12 and a lower opaque panel 13, e.g., a wood or wood-grained panel. The vertical post is substantially rigidly supported on the floor 14 by a foot member 15.

The latter comprises a base member or plate 16 adapted to be rigidly secured to the floor 14 by bolts, screws or the like, for which purpose screw or bolt holes 17 are provided. The post-supporting or post-receiving part 18 of the foot member is an elongated vertical member of generally H-shape, transverse cross section providing an elongated medial portion 19 and elongated wing means 20, 21, 22, and 23. The wing means extend laterally from the longitudinal edges of the medial or base portion 19 and constitute the means for telescopically receiving and holding the vertical posts 11 on the foot member. The wing means 20-23 preferably respectively comprise legs or wings 24, 25, 26 and 27 extending transversely from the medial or base portion 19 substantially at right angles thereto. The legs or wings in turn have at their respective outer, longitudinal edges elongated lips or ribs 28, 29, 30 and 31. These lips or ribs are angularly disposed relative to their respective wings or legs as viewed in transverse cross section and preferably extend transversely outwardly therefrom at substantially right angles thereto (substantially parallel to the base or medial portion 19).

The post 11 is an elongated, hollow post having one or more longitudinal slots or grooves 32. The longitudinal grooves 32 receive the vertical edges of the panels 12 and 13. In the illustrated embodiment, panel 13 has a metal U-channel frame 33 about the wood or woodgrained panel portion 34. The frame 33 has an integrally formed rib 35 which matingly fits in the groove 32. It is supported vertically therein by a clip or other suitable structure 36 (FIG. 1), the details of which do not constitute part of this invention. The upper panel 12 may be similarly supported or it may merely rest on the upper edge of the lower panel 13.

The hollow post 11 is a four-sided post having recessed corner portions 37. The hollow interior thereof is provided with four longitudinal ribs 38 which are parallel to and spaced from the Outer wall segments 39 forming the recessed corners. The spacing is such that the ribs or lips 2831 slidably fit in the grooves 40 formed by the wall segments 39 and ribs 38, whereby the post 11 telescopically fits over the foot member 15.

The height of the post 11 is adjustable. For this purpose the medial or base portion 19 of the post-receiving member 18 is cut away to provide a vertically elongated opening 41. A vertical, threaded shank 42 extends longitudinally in the opening 41. A nut 43 is threaded thereon. The nut 43 in turn supports an apertured post-supporting member 44, which in the illustrated embodiment is a rectangular plate having a central aperture sufficiently large so that the plate may slide up and down on the shank 42.

The shank 42 preferably is a fixed shank. A simple and convenient way to mount such shank is to provide in its upper end a diametric slot 45 wide enough to fit over the medial or base portion 19 adjacent the upper end of the opening 4.1. The slot 45 has suflicient depth so that the lower end 46 of the threaded shank 42 will clear the lower edge 47 of the opening 41. The lower end 46 of the shank 42 has a similar diametric slot 48 adapted to fit over the notched portion 49 of the upper edge '47. The notched portion 49 centers the lower end of the shank 42 in the opening 41. The upper end of the shank 42 is centered and secured to the base portion 19 by providing therein a diametric tapped hole in which is mounted a screw or bolt 50.

The post-receiving member 18 and post 11 are conveniently and economically manufactured in the form of aluminum or other metal extrusions. When so manufactured, it is preferred to provide on the outer faces of the wings or legs 2427 longitudinally extending, longitudinally split tube-like members 51. For purposes of the subject invention, only the lower portions of such tubelike portions are functional. The lower portions of the tube-like members 51 are used for rigidly attaching the post-receiving member 18 to the base plate 16. For this purpose, screw holes 52 are provided in the base plate in alignment with the tubelike members 51. The screws 54 are threaded in the bottom of the recessed portion 53 of the base plate 16 into the lower end of the tubelike members 51 to rigidly attach the post-receiving member 18 to the base plate 16.

The lower portion of the base or medial portion 19 may be provided with an opening 55 for running telephone and other service wires through the foot members 15, if desired. Where the lower panel 13 is elevated relative to the floor 14 as shown in FIG. 1, a sleeve 56 of plastic or other suitable material may be provided about the exposed lower portion of the post-receiving member 18. The top of the post 11 may be provided with a conventional cap 57.

As seen in FIG. 4, the outer edges of the plate 44 project beyond the outer faecs of the ribs or lips 2831 whereby the bottom edge of the post 1.1 contacts and rests on these edges when the post is telescoped over the post-receiving member 18.

The foot member illustrated in FIGS. and 6 is similar in many respects to the embodiment in FIGS. 1-4. Where applicable, like numerals designate like parts. The embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 differs primarily in the attachment of the threaded shank 42 to the base plate 16 and the rigid mounting of the post-receiving member 18 on the base plate 16. The threaded shank 42 and the post-receiving members 18 are Welded, soldered, or otherwise rigidly secured on the upper face 58 of a U- channel member 59. The latter in turn is rigidly secured by welding, soldering or the like to the upper face 60 of the base plate 16. The opening 41a extends to the face 58.

The U-channel 59 provides a passage through the base of the foot member 15a for stringing communication wires, conduit or the like, along the floor beneath the partition wall. The channel 59 may be covered in whole or in part by a sleeve such as the sleeve 56 shown in FIG. 1.

It is thought that the invention and its numerous attendant advantages will be fully understood from the foregoing description, and it is obvious that numerous changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, or sacrificing any of its attendant advantages, the forms herein disclosed being preferred embodiments for the purpose of illustrating the invention.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A foot member for a vertical post of a partition construction comprising a floor-engaging base member, a vertical, post-receiving member thereon, said post-receiving member embodying an elongated, medial portion and elongated wing means for telescopically receiving and holding a vertical post on said foot member, means forming a vertically elongated opening in the lower portion of said medial portion, a threaded shank extending vertically in said opening, a nut threaded on said shank, and a posts'upporting number supported by said nut and extending laterally from said opening a distance suflicient to support the lower edge of a post telescoped on said post-receiving member.

2. A foot member as claimed in claim 1 wherein said post-receiving member has an H-shape transverse crosssection wherein the cross leg of the H is said medial portion.

3. A foot member as claimed in claim 2, and elongated lips extending laterally outwardly from the longitudinal edges of the side legs of the H.

4. A foot member as claimed in claim 2, said post supporting member being an apertured plate slidably mounted on said shank with opposite longitudinal edges extending beyond the longitudinal edges of the side legs of the H.

5. A partition wall post structure embodying a foot member comprising a floor-engaging base member, a vertical, post-receiving member thereon, said post-receiving member embodying an elongated, medial portion and elongated 'wing means for telescopically receiving and holding a vertical post on said foot member, means forming a vertically elongated opening in the lower portion of said medial portion, a threaded shank extending vertically in said opening, a nut threaded on said shank, and a post-supporting member supported by said nut and extending laterally from said opening a distance sufiicient to support the lower edge of a post telescoped on said post-receiving member; and a hollow post telescoped over said post-receiving member with the lower edge of said hollow post resting on said post-supporting member.

6. A partition wall post structure comprising a foot member adapted to be attached to a floor and a four-sided hollow post with recessed corners and a longitudinal, panel-receiving groove in at least one of the-sides of said post, said post being telescoped over said foot member, said foot member including a floor-engaging base member with a vertical, post-receiving member thereon, said post-receiving member having an H-shape transverse cross section with four elongated lips extending laterally outwardly from the respective, longitudinal edges of the side legs of the H, and a longitudinal, interior rib projecting inwardly from the inner face of each side wall of said post adjacent each inner corner thereof and forming with the inner face of a wall of each respective, recessed corner four longitudinal grooves in the inner corners of said hollow post, which grooves slidably re ceive said lips when said hollow post is telescoped over said post-receiving member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 3,256,659 Dudofif 52239X 3,312,025 4/ 19 67 Deakins 52239 3,327,440 6/1967 Watkins 52-239 3,371,454 3/1968 Anderson 52-122 5 ALFRED c. PERHAM, Primary Examiner U.S. c1. X.R. s2 122,,243, 678 

